Beckman, Dixon, Edwards lead after a quick day in Virginia
Larry Dixon, Jack Beckman, and Mike Edwards will lead their fields into Sunday’s final eliminations at the Virginia NHRA Nationals, the fourth of six events in NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs, after a record-setting day of qualifying Saturday.
Morning rain showers delayed the start of action at Virginia Motorsports Park by about two hours, and after a get-acquainted session with the newly rain-washed track, the Pro Stock teams especially took advantage of the cooling temperatures in the evening session to record the kind of performances for which this track has become known. In all, 13 Pro Stock drivers ran quicker Saturday than Edwards’ Friday field-leading pass and Edwards himself recorded the second quickest pass in class history to lead the field. In Top Fuel, Antron Brown reset the national speed record in Top Fuel with a pass of 319.60.
Larry Dixon
Dixon is now a perfect 4-for-4 in pole positions during the Countdown playoffs after powering his Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing dragster to a career-best 3.783, the fifth quickest pass in the 1,000-foot era, in the day’s first session despite losing an engine in the process. Dixon had the second quickest pass of the final session, a 3.791, to earn five bonus points on the day. The No. 1 spot is the eighth of the season of Dixon, a personal best. With just 15 dragsters on hand, Dixon will earn a crucial first-round bye and he tries to track down points leader Tony Schumacher and vie for a third world championship.
Morning rain showers delayed the start of action at Virginia Motorsports Park by about two hours, and after a get-acquainted session with the newly rain-washed track, the Pro Stock teams especially took advantage of the cooling temperatures in the evening session to record the kind of performances for which this track has become known. In all, 13 Pro Stock drivers ran quicker Saturday than Edwards’ Friday field-leading pass and Edwards himself recorded the second quickest pass in class history to lead the field. In Top Fuel, Antron Brown reset the national speed record in Top Fuel with a pass of 319.60.
Larry Dixon
Dixon is now a perfect 4-for-4 in pole positions during the Countdown playoffs after powering his Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing dragster to a career-best 3.783, the fifth quickest pass in the 1,000-foot era, in the day’s first session despite losing an engine in the process. Dixon had the second quickest pass of the final session, a 3.791, to earn five bonus points on the day. The No. 1 spot is the eighth of the season of Dixon, a personal best. With just 15 dragsters on hand, Dixon will earn a crucial first-round bye and he tries to track down points leader Tony Schumacher and vie for a third world championship.
